How To Create Non-Player Characters for RPGs (Game Master Tips)

[@jgr7487]

uses the wrong voice for Timmy. PCs kill the imposter & start a side quest to recover Timmy.

[@AN-ou6qu]

Omg LOL

[@michaelroditis1952]

hahahaha the players will built there own story in the end !

[@timcronin5107]

"Why thank you for recovering me."

[@jgr7487]

you're welcome,@@timcronin5107!

[@leonelrodriguez5602]

I'll not lie, this happened once with one of my NPC's and they actually killed the "imposter". Later on, they just discovered that "Timmy" had a flu.

[@cdnarmymedic]

"I don't remember what Timmy sounds like. But they'll remember. They always remember." Truer words were never spoken about players.

[@comickazii6629]

*fledgling GM wipes sweat from brow

[@neptune8645]

Im a new DM, I just started with my own campaign that I wrote and I literally forgot the voice for a Major NPC but they remember 🥺

[@timcronin5107]

Exactly lol

[@brychang]

I felt this so deep in my soul it hurts!

[@glowing_purple_girl]

Happened to me in my first real campaign, except it was whether a banshee liked them or not. They were very confused as to why she was being so mean

[@deltablaze77]

Players: "Wait it could be a trap..." Me (In my head): Well it wasn't going to be...but good idea. XD

[@m.m.1301]

I legit do the same

[@jesterssketchbook]

DM: and how would that trap work, exactly? (subtley takes notes)

[@madmonk3290]

Or in the other direction. Players: "This is a trap" Me in my head: "Not any more"

[@Julian-pw5mv]

@Jacob Jackman i played my first dnd game ever with 2 other people that have never played before and i was the dm, and i have to say, sometimes they are and sometimes they want to kill their only way to find civilisation

[@Talokir]

The opposite happened to me. My party set up more than 10 traps against a monster they were supposed to run from. They were level 3...and that hydra didn't even get to attack

[@EdwardHowton]

I always struggle with names. That's how I ended up with a pirate captain named Bellend (I'd heard a Brit call someone a bell-end earlier that day) and a merchant named Siran Dormadim (Sir and/or madam). Admittedly, I'm very happy with that second one. It's surprising how useful puns can be for names. I often think of a clever pun I can twist into a name and then smack myself that I don't have anything to write it down on.

[@cleanliving1612]

I've kept a list of randomly generated names behind the screen for a decade now. Very, very useful.

[@MrKyuuren]

EdwardHowton Siran Dormadim. you genius, I'm stealing that

[@doomdoot6731]

I ASSUME that puns can backfire very quickly though, if your group is particularily silly...

[@DaDunge]

It's fun to do those things, I have the name Will Canand on my list. Can and will. Also my fellow players are convinced that my current Barbarian Styr (actually named for the real life viking hero Styrbjörn) is actually the letters of his primary stat (STR) with an extra vowel added.

[@dylankagan9695]

@@DaDunge yup, sounds just like a barbarian. I have decided on my Mad King’s name now!

[@Obstreperous_Octopus]

"He has... um... laser sword."

[@bongibot1104]

William Bowles in our first campaign I gave one guy a Halo energy sword. He killed the final boss in one hit. Lesson is don't give overpowered shit early on lol.

[@liammorais1259]

Obi wan????? Is that You?

[@talideon]

TV Tropes is also a decent source for getting character inspiration from. After all, tropes don't exist just because they're easy, but because they represent useful character archetypes.

[@4195phoenix]

Magnificient Bastard ftw!!

[@Gheringerbob12345]

THE NOBLE DEMON

[@RikkuTakanashi]

Exactly! The same goes for stereotypes. People act like stereotypes are soooooooo bad. Well... Um... That thing became a stereotype because it actually was a common thing that happened or a very popular thing at one time people used alot. The same goes got cliches. Don't be afraid to use stereotypes and cliches because they became stereotypes and cliches for a reason.

[@chukyuniqul]

@@RikkuTakanashi not really, stereotypes can sometimes be from propaganda which preyed on people's ignorance. But those are usually the ones about people who are far away and your average schmuck wouldn't have met them.

[@swordlessfish2203]

I recently started DMing, and I had my bard player going through a dungeon solo since my other players were unavailable. He managed to get past all of my traps in ingenious ways. He then had to figure out a small puzzle I had set up if he made a check that the runes on one of the things he needed from the dungeon, and he just grabbed the item, triggering the poison trap that would deal 2d10 damage, and he rolled a 20 on the saving throw. He took 0 damage all the way through my dungeon, evading and putting monsters into their own traps.

[@sutyi06]

Funny story, I had the same kind of thing, only a lot lamer. I am playing a halfling rogue in one of my D&D 3.5 games, which I have a 20DEX with (I rolled an 18 at the character creation +2 race bonus). I had to infiltrate an orc pirate ship, so I did it my own way, sneaked around, did some research on the defenses yada yada, and I got to the Captain's quarters, which (I guess was the first miniboss of the campaign). Both the captain and his first mate (a brutal fighter) were sleeping in front of me. At this point I could have killed two very unsettling characters of the game and instead of doing that, I woke them up and started bargaining. With orcs. And I rolled each diplomacy check and came out with a decent deal.

[@Reazerable]

SwordlessFish I wish I could have your luck. my group had to fight a group of 15 goblins and one was a caster. he blinded our whole group and then we got captured and nearly cooked.

[@augustinebels]

What a lad

[@deffdefying4803]

I aspire to be that bard

[@sofialaya596]

You better gave him a medal

[@smokr23]

My players just recently killed a Dwarven King on accident. He was going to be a reoccurring character but know they have to deal with his former Captain of the Guard brother who isn't ready to be king.

[@Kematen2013]

+Mike Doyle recently a beloved npc got murdered infront of my players ... they failed in saving him and now seek for vengeance! it is so much fun ^^ (and sad XD)

[@Kematen2013]

+Kematen2013 ignore the "i" pls XD

[@JesperoTV]

+Kematen2013 (you can edit comments, hint hint nudge nudge)

[@Kematen2013]

hahaha ... got it ;D

[@skyrimsniper]

+Mike Doyle Like, did your character accidentally kill the Dwarven King or did he kill an NPC that was then revealed to be a Dwarven King?

[@Quintinium]

"Timmy... I don't remember what Timmy sounds like" Solution: Timmy is DEAD!

[@jessicalee333]

Honestly, that's a good idea and as a DM I never thought of it before. The players go off adventuring for months, decide to return to a familiar town - sure, why should it be exactly the same? Characters they've met before could have died, there could have been plague, or an attack, an accident, or just old age. Maybe the whole town isn't even there anymore, hit by a massive flood or landslide (though on the road they would hear news about that).

[@solahaze8948]

@@jessicalee333 I think they were more trying to mock how GMs come to easy solutions to their own problems by killing NPCs at their leisure.

[@Bacon8t0r]

Looks like we'll need another Timmy!

[@TheLurkerFox]

Could also be that he caught a shitty case of the cold and his voice is all wonky now coz his throat hurts like all hell?

[@timcronin5107]

You sure about that?

[@emilygordbort7300]

Villain idea: A well-meaning adventurer who went murder hobo after a series of unfortunate events starting with killing some random merchant

[@mitchellenderson7194]

“I just wanted to buy a trident off him, but then he started trying to rob me in the middle of his own store, and when I tried to fight back I learned he was way less blade-proof then I thought he was. One thing led to another, I haven’t slept in weeks, and now that I’ve been awake long enough to think that this is the only way, I’m going to awaken the Tarrasque so I can slip away in the ensuing chaos and make everything seem like part of my master plan instead of an ever-spiraling of events I have long since lost control over.”

[@OmegaTC666]

@@mitchellenderson7194 And when the plan goes wrong, will he go and scream into the uncaring void for a bit?

[@ugxsan]

The disgraced warrior. “I’ve come this far. There’s no way for me now but down. Try as you might to bring me back to the light, I’ve followed this unfortunate path too long to forgive myself. If I’m no good as a hero, I can still make one hell of a threat for someone else.” Maybe he believes even that the only way he can redeem himself is making someone strong enough to stop him so that they may stop some greater evil. Sorry I got really angsty with this. It was just supposed to be a fun character concept.

[@salsaccino]

Fwends..! *Not fwends..!*

[@strutr1250]

999... finally... true inner peace.

[@polkadotalien1]

"Helps keep the psychosis at bay" Matt were kindred spirits in so many ways

[@Tamaki742]

"Fwends." "Not fwends."

[@Lh0000]

*NOT FWENDS??!!?!*

[@tenacityxl]

Not Fwends.

[@totem91]

Admit it critters. All those times when we're not in a D&D game, or when we put our campaign in the freezer because some people are at work or they have to move away for some time, or whatever reason... We're all just rolling random characters. C'mon, you know you do it too... ;)

[@Kematen2013]

+Totem PsyClinic ... ya i guess its true :/

[@30SECONDSREMAINING]

+Totem PsyClinic Honestly thats were alot of my npc's come from.....

[@30SECONDSREMAINING]

+Totem PsyClinic Honestly thats were alot of my npc's come from.....

[@decdenner]

+Totem PsyClinic Dude, im doing this right now

[@cryofpaine]

Sometimes that's the best part of an RPG. :)

[@scifugitive2]

Creating characters for a D&D campaign was my favorite thing when I hosted my own one (I only was the DM once). I had tons of them... only ended up using a few.

[@scifugitive2]

Plus, you are a very good speaker. You are nicely animated... I could listen to you read a book. It's easy to see why you are a DM.

[@GeekandSundry]

+Kathryn Davidson We'll pass your compliments on to Matt. He speaks for a living - literally. :)

[@orestesbastos]

Welp the solution for that is DMing another campaing and recycling unused characters :D

[@WillieTheAutomaton]

Dude, DM training by McCree himself!

[@shardliveactionroleplaying1113]

These videos are fantastic! You hit the nail on the head that it's definitely not an anti-climax when the PCs win by doing something clever. Remember the DM/GM is there to tell a story and entertain, not necessarily crush the PCs. Challenge them, make them think, make them feel--but never work to beat them. Too many GMs fall into the trap of a "them vs. me" mentality.

[@stormrider7235]

Shard Live Action Roleplaying Matt once said that he prefers to think of it as the players vs. the world and environment with the DM as a neutral judge and jury. And that's probably the best description honestly

[@RikkuTakanashi]

Yeah, often times the dm ends up becoming the villain instead of being what they're supposed to be. A deity of story telling that is telling the story that's meant to happen or has already happened if you want to do a past tense idea.

[@jamisont7349]

If anything happens to Gilmore we are going to be "not fwends" Matt.

[@josiemcmillan5012]

Wow, guess he took you for a real emotional rollercoaster ride, huh?

[@FrumpybutSuperSmart]

I can't wait for more of these they are excellent.

[@GeekandSundry]

+Caer Ibormeith Thanks! We're makin' 'em as fast as we can, so they're gonna keep coming! :)

[@H4WKB13]

+Toddpunchify I'm in exatly the same situation xD

[@AaronFruman]

Too scurrd to DM... I'll get there though. Trying my hand first at Sword Coast Legends DM though. =) Drag'n'drop FTMFW! =D GL with your games guys!

[@irosencrantz4931]

Toddpunchify... dayum! That's ballsy! First time playing going immediately into DMing.

[@METALGEARMATRIX]

I Rosencrantz It's what I did. .... my First campaign was awful.

[@andrewbeauman]

I've been GMing for 5 years now... and these are still so helpful. So much of our gaming has been self-taught and I love getting awesome advice from the Master Himself.

[@cmckee42]

Fwends... like Clarota

[@HolyWarriorFury]

I had a small campaign that I made where the players have to choose (or totally ignore) between helping a thieves guild or helping a corrupt (they didn't know it was corrupt at start) government.. they without question kills the thieves and left and so this corrupt government is gonna grow tyrannical all because of them (as the thieves, while still thieves and thus "bad" where trying to stop this government)

[@leonielson7138]

So, they helped the Templars hunt down and destroy the Assassins, and now they have to deal with the political ramifications . . .?

[@elijahtelkamp688]

I mean, that's their choice, and dealing with the consequences of your actions is part of an RPG

[@Obstreperous_Octopus]

NOT FWENDS.

[@MrGuitarTormentor]

Elijah Telkamp Yeah, but from all around perspective, I would never do that, as a DM, to an unexperinced players who don't yet get that most or if not all things have 2 sides of a coin. Such things need to be implementet carefully when you see their all around conciescence grows. Because if you do this to them so early and if they are so much into their caracter they will be depressed and lose their will to play. And no, to them that was the only choice that they could do, go and attack evil guys. So, yes in the end you as a DM in such scenario are most responsible for their guilt, none other. Your shield is not to say that they had all the choice in the world.

[@AmbersKnight]

Excellent video with lots of information for all GMs, rather than concentrating on only one system.

[@GeekandSundry]

+Ronnie Bradley Thanks! We try to be thorough.

[@darksean99]

I love the last bit. I always give exactly two pieces of advice to new DMs. 1) Always have a plan, it is important to know the little details of your world, and to always have a idea of what you want to happen, why, and how. 2) Understand that no plan survives contact with players. That super important NPC that you put three months of work into and has all these grandiose plans? Completely ignored by the players. The random street kid that you put in just to feed the next breadcrumb of story? Oh that is their new best friend, In fact they adopted the kid and he is now a part of the party. And the most important bit about these? It is fine. It is the DMs job to be flexible, and to make the game fun. NPCs are mercurial, the players ignore your villain? Well maybe villain number 2 with suspiciously similar stats and motivations will appear later down the line. Players gravitate toward a character you put no thought into what so ever? Well it looks like it is time for Random NPC from three towns away to get a name change.

[@shinypear326]

Keep these coming and I'll keep sharing them to my friend who is learning how to DM

[@GeekandSundry]

+shinypear326 Thanks! And godspeed to your friend!

[@vicariousxiv2436]

I'm going to remember that and quote it t'ill the end of time! "Not fwends..."

[@wolfhound7919]

I've been playing/running Dungeons and Dragons since the "red Box" days of basic pre-ad&d. I love the changes over the years to how games have been able to develop with more and more detail and I LOVE this series. Thank you for making it!!

[@gnilleps]

Mr. Mercer, you have a wonderful DM style, and this is all incredible advice. I love how you integrate your experience in the arts into the GM role. Please keep making these videos- they're wonderful!

[@Mayiamaru]

I have had: - An important NPC bypassed cause she wasn't very memorable. Later she came to hate one of the party members for invading the privacy of her mind. - A major source of info rage stabbed in the back after admitting to 'possibly' being involved in a family member's death while critically injured - Another source of info one shot because he sarcastically thought about offering the trespassing party to his diety - Planning to make a corndog vendor into a secondary antagonist because of my players dunked on his food.

[@mrozzdude]

i made a traveling merchant for my group to save shopping trips, he was undead losing his mind after sharing his body and mind with Krond for 100 years. He ended up being a massive re-write and plot point for Out of the Abyss. He was also an adventure guide, if the players didn't know where to look or go, I could speak through him, he was an undead skeleton that could only talk through telepathy that he mastered through spending too much time with the kenku and imitation. though it was telepathic he would move his skeletal jaw so it looks less weird. he was my old rogue who died in a one shot, so he already had some back story

[@furniture5223]

Very cool, and a useful tool for aiding the party or keeping them moving in the campaign rather than their desire to stop in towns for supplies every other session. I've created an Ethereal Filcher that pops into the world at random and serves as a traveling merchant as well. Only catch, everything he has changes with each stop, and he never knows where he is or where he will be next. His teleportation leads him sporadically throughout the world without his concent, though he's always happy to make a deal. He's already appeared in a well, and between a building's foundation. My only downfall: I gave him a voice that's gruff and guttural, similar to Watto in Star Wars. I need hot tea with a copious amount of honey each time he appears. Kind of a giveaway for the players to consider what trinkets they are looking for in his shop.

[@nikkimabanlongeval601]

The despair in his voice when he said "They always remember."

[@MiniMackeroni]

I like the graphics on this video and I think it can be fleshed out to be used even more. Maybe make a list of keywords that Matt mentions on the right. Could make it easier to write it down. :)

[@danielgiglio8349]

Matt, thank you. Thank you so much for inspiring me to first get into playing D&D and then influencing me to become a DM. My friends from high school are all coming back together because of D&D under my DM'ing which you help me with these videos. I know there may come a time that there's nothing left to make a video about but I rewatch these to double back on a lesson that I use for the next step in my campaign that I've created. It's amazing and I may never be on Geek and Sundry but I enjoy the fact that my friends are pulled into my creation all thanks to your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@Vosoros]

New villain name idea; Maxwell Nowfwend! :P

[@xXIxidor92Xx]

Thank you for putting these videos out geek and sundry. As a DM myself, I oftentimes have wondered how I could improve my games and how I run them, and each of these videos so far has been a great help. I look forward to seeing more in the future.

[@YerBoyJerLoi]

i'm a newer dm, but i like to have a recurring character, stephen the janitor, across multiple campaigns! but what the players don't know, is that he's an expert in combat, which will only be revealed when needed :)

[@aretapf]

Good video. If all GM knew how to accept badassness from the characters... Some just got pissed off, cheat and find a way to kill them, or to save the villain....Loving your tips.

[@anon0092]

I gotta say,as a first-time DM (and D&D player,in general),these are fantastic to watch,almost a lifesaver XD keep up the amazing work,Matt,love you and your crew's work,both in-game,and out.

[@grobanlover292]

"If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can flesh out every NPC... but that can be a little... ominous." Are you speaking from experience, Mr. Mercer?

[@passageways]

Other than the standard "what is this character good at?" and a couple interactive quirks like appearance/voice, there are two big questions with two parts that can be very different or go hand in hand. And these questions apply to even the most seemingly insignificant NPC because the answers to these questions determine how they'll interact with the players and, if necessary, what the NPC will do "off-screen." 1. What does this character want most and what are they willing to give up to get it? 2. What does this character need and how do they plan on getting it (or how do they usually get it)?

[@EC-lq1sn]

Book of Vile Darkness, thanks for the tip ... I liked the feat "Mark of the Master" ... excellent resource. Can you make a short on how to build atmosphere for a game of Ravenloft, Dark Souls, Castlevania, or other Dark Fantasy that employ taint, curses, and haunted pasts to start characters off

[@wyldbladze]

Wasn't paying attention in the first video, but damn, those wall sconces are friggin awesome.

[@K1ttyCass]

Secretly making the players work for the villain is also fun. My group was once tasked with retrieving strange silver lockboxes with various gems on the top for a gnome conducting research... until a druid informed they were being played and bad things were going to happen if they didn't race back to the gnome's ship.

[@GamerNxUSN]

koveras aka sarevok.

[@MasterGagnon]

this man is the greatest dungeon master ive ever seen :)

[@DavidEarney]

Really enjoyed the video. Wish you guys also did a podcast of all the D&D stuffs. I'm a returning DM, both to the game, and the role. 5e is new to me, and resources like this are reminders of all the little things to look out for in putting together each game night. Sometimes we forget the details, and reminders are good for keeping the game full of depth and dynamic inspirations.

[@svensnoek3251]

Love the moral dillema of a grey character. Running Storm Kings Thunder right now and I made Xolkin Alassander a reaccuring character. Ambitieus and a bit of a smooth talker, not giving the players the feeling that they can trust him or the Zhentarim. But made him a interresting ally for a source of info about the giants, through the use of spies of the Zhentarim. For my good alligned players it is a constant dillema to trust him or ignore him. Love it.

[@RonocLrd]

This is great! Thanks Matt! Do you think maybe you could do a video about how to run a first campaign for new time players and DMs? Like the does and do nots?

[@andysimmons2648]

Thank you for this series, it's really good. One resource I use for NPCs in my games is books on creative writing, the character sections often provide good inspiration .

[@DMHavok]

Even as an experienced DM, I gotta say that these tips help me keep my focus. Sometimes, it gets a little... difficult to remain in the moment. Thank you for these!

[@gregissimo6700]

I have a group of friends and we are fresh out of water noobs in DnD. We want to create an online campaign and I have volunteered to DM, so these videos have become a must in the background for me while I'm working to pick up on some things and ideas. I just want to say a huge TAHKN YOU to Geek & Sundry and Critical Role for making the series that have introduced me to the world of DnD.

[@eliminator_v]

As a new GM I love these videos!

[@91hawkeyelyons]

Thanks so much for this. The final encounter in my first game went wildly off track because I had my BBEG run away (a surprise to myself and my players) as a result of character traits I'd previously given him. Was worried I'd erred, but glad to hear as a new DM, and from the man himself no less, that it's the proper way to run an NPC!

[@timmyjimmy3647]

Hans Gruber reference sold the whole damn thing. Love this guy.

[@dslayer418]

“Keeps the psychosis at bay” 🤣

[@Alizardlovesyou]

I need a walk-through of Matt’s game notebooks 📝 ❤️ this is empath, level epic, put to awesomeness uses

[@sirhamalot8651]

Character voice notations: you can also base your voices on existing characters from movies/shows to help remember. This makes keeping track very easy for you: Tavern Owner: Bartoll; voice: Captain Picard. Mysterious Rogue: Venns; Voice: Enigo Monyoya. As long as you don't tell the players who you are mimicking, they will likely never guess, but you will be able to remember their voice instantly!

[@Da_Condor]

This video series is great, I love the part where he talks about how players play in the "grey" area and hiding bodies. I am running a game as a DM for the first time and my roommate immediately used charm person on a famous war general to find out his information, stuck him in a barrel, and rolled him onto a ship. He made the campaign more difficult to run because that NPC was supposed to help them but I rolled with it. I think this might be what changes his alignment from Lawful good to more of a Chaotic Neutral character and he might come back later as a bad guy with a personal vendetta against them.

[@the_bat_geek8599]

Great video. I'm currently working on two palidian NPCs for my weekly d&d campaign.

[@nightshadeisis2263]

Very good point on having a sheet ready. Running a Supernatural Campaign now and Bobby just came in as an NPC. Good thing I had his sheet ready the demon pulled Bobby's gun from his hand and turned it on the crew. Trying to fly off on a Dodge plus trying to figure out Bobby's ability for setting traps would have been painful otherwise.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I love making NPC's and I wanna gush about mine, but I already told my players about this series and I don't want to spoil anything :[ Good tips, I will definitely be using some in the future.

[@Reflectanon]

WARNING: the "Book Of Vile Darkness" is filled with gross and terrible things, some of which you will never forget after reading it (ex: there are rules for necrophilia that are burned into my mind). Matt may be correct that the resources for creating some truly evil villains are there, just be very, very careful about what you want to read when using that material. "Vile" and "Dark" only begin to describe it.

[@YBTrolling]

+spizzerspunk Is it really that bad?

[@Reflectanon]

+YBTrolling My initial reaction to the video was somewhat hyperbolic, but I think if you are going to check out the book you should read the table of comments carefully to find what you need (there are detailed rules for torture, for example). I'm not saying it isn't a legit source, and if you are running a dark game than it has some really good stuff, but bottom line it is not for the faint of heart.

[@orarinnsnorrason4614]

One thing I'd like to add. Only read this book if you are going to DM because if you are a player and know some of the stuff that's in it, it will potentially ruin the experience of meeting some of these villains. To me it's like going through the monster manual, it's a thing that you just don't do, for the sake of surprise when you encounter these beings and creatures.

[@kabhes9040]

so, a book where you actually have to be careful what you read. sounds like something from a fantasy book.

[@TheProfessor529]

It's Good counterpart the 'Book of Exalted Deeds' is also a wonderful resource when you need divine-style element for your campaign. And it's not as necessary to regularly apply brain bleach to read it.

[@DadsChannel1982]

Champions of Ruin is also a good source book for building Villains. It has a section on "Philosophies of Evil," along with a number of other ideas to pull from (or, if you're running an evil campaign, it'll help too).

[@KeeperofMolgera]

I have a pair of Fetchling brothers (who in my setting that race is russian in terms of language and attitude) named Ivan and Dimitri Azarov. Well, technically half-brothers but... if asked, theyd say theyre brothers. My players love them, especially the dynamic between the two since IVan is usually the serious one and is constantly trying to get Dimitri to take things at least a little seriously. which he doesnt.

[@MagnetoNova]

A great tip I picked up from Adam Koebel and Steven Lumpkin in their Being Everyone Else series is to create three rules for their NPCS. For example, you have a Sherlock Holmes-ish type NPC: Rule 1, "I am smarter than everyone else." Rule 2, "Overanalyse EVERYTHING." Rule 3, "Drugs? Drugs!" I try to do things like this for all my NPCs and even some of my PCs.

[@emileecvz]

Matt has some amazing camera presence.

[@eric_welch]

I want to be Matt Mercer's friend!!

[@ninakelly8498]

Thank you for giving GM tips. I am currently trying to run a couple of campaigns but I am still learning.

[@Zhon66]

That last bit happened to me as a GM - I had a recurring villain that the players had fought like three times throughout their progression, who went from hopelessly overpowered to an even fight to a challenge for only two members after the party split. She was on the verge of escaping again when a character used a combination of a scrying pool and an ability with range "sight" to force her to come back, where they managed to kill her. It was very much a 'well played' moment.

[@codymiller9408]

You're right matt we always do remember...

[@Senok13]

Hehh. We had in one of our first adventure a group of sailors, and when we was attacked by pirates, one of them had some incredible rolls - in fact, when it comes to time for he to make an ability check or attack roll, the DM rolled more Natural 20, than the entire party all through the campaign. We landed on an uninhabited island, because our ship become too damaged, to sail with it to a safety harbor, with the goal of take the pirate ship, which was also stranded there for different reasons - they hadn't have enough food, to survive a trip until they reach the continent. There our friend made some other incredible feat, when we scouted the island. He, whom was a nameless sailor in the first, this way later nominated as the first mate of the ship, gained a name and a player class for himself (human fighter, with the sailor background, and the feat "lucky"). Also, become a recurring ally for the party, usually when we needed a ship.

[@DeathbyNoob15]

I'm loving these videos! They're really helping out in my campaigns. Keep 'em comin! :)

[@johnsullivan1526]

Wow. I'm new to dnd gonna give a go at dm, we're using the starter set with the mines of phandelver, makes things quite simple for most areas but the town of phandalin still felt very daunting to me, I wanna make not only our first town, but a recurring one at that feel real, especially as the book doesn't give much for npc's. Clearly Matt not only knows what he's doing but how to teach it, in less then two minutes he gave a beautiful description on how to make your npcs and even a bit on preparing them. Btw while everybody excluding myself seems to have seen critical role, I'd recommend viva la dirt leagues newest campaign, it's definitely a no holds barred campaign with a very skilled dm as well as a hilarious group that are very impressive In their own right

[@Jake-dx7vn]

Mat: Sometimes the final encounter may not be as epic as you think... ..earlier.. Travis (as Grog): FOR, STRONGJAW!!

[@shaurmiath6719]

Love the shout-out to the BoVD!

[@HighTechWizard]

Absolutely loving these videos! Please keep them coming, I'm running a game of Cyberpunk 2020, and all of these tips are proving useful.

[@johnpaul4597]

he is right the book of vile Darkness does have a lot of good breakdown for villains and villainous personalities but you must be careful when using it because there are some things in that book that are very overpowered so use the book carefully

[@keithwinget526]

As usual, well done. I can't wait for this weeks episode of CR! Finding out what kind of villains the Chroma Conclave are will be quite the spectacle, to be sure. On a side note, I sure as hell hope they have the sense to warn their staff at Greyskull to GTFO as fast as they can.... If there's anything left there....Also, will be interesting if they stumble upon Kainen on their way out at some point.

[@wrongtime9097]

I had a wizard/surgeon as my old player character whose entire gimmick was harvesting organs to stitch into a Frankenstein-style minion and he'd create an army over time. He got caught in a series of unfortunate events starting with a kenku attacking him and his minotaur compatriot from the sky while they were sleeping on the ground because they were poor, only to snipe the bird out of the sky. A couple moments of harvesting organs and stealing the body later, they were being hunted down for presumably homicide. one thing led to another, he scooped some eyes out, got arrested at some point, and went insane while being stuck inside a prison cell (he had a crippling fear of cubes, or 'wurfens' since he was German, so being stuck inside a cube-shaped cell really messed with him). I managed to roll the permanent effect where he never took anything seriously which caused him to bully the captain of the guard so much he got depression for years after. Somehow they escaped but not before being seriously injured. that character went from being my PC to the major villain of our campaign that I am now DMing (which essentially means that I'm playing him all over again) and he now owns his own factory that involves producing serious weaponry, mutation, clockwork automatons combined with skeletons of people, and flesh guns that are built from only the most perfectly built orphans he can get his hands on thanks to a deal with an island of fish people

[@stefaniisthecutest8447]

Helpful tips by the greatest DM's

[@driftwoodredneck6416]

"And you have to hide bodies. And it happens, often." Well said past Matt, well said

[@DummyUrD]

solid advice, although more geared towards newer people, which is fine! As you gain experience you make your own choices anyway! What I would like is a little background input, of how you came up with different characters, like K'varn or Allura (nice namesake here lol)

[@satyreyes]

My notes on NPCs include first and foremost a person, real or fictional -- Princess Leia, Napoleon Bonaparte, Fry from Futurama -- whose personality serves as a reference point for the character. For me, "what would Toph say here?" is an easier question to answer on the fly than "given this character's dreams, ideals, and fears, how will they react?", and it keeps my role-playing more consistent.

[@xanadu1215]

This was good. You have some great points. I've been a DM since 1980 (where you born by then?) and you have the best explanation I have heard. DMs should be inspired. You got me going again. :D I've found that the players really like to 'attach' themselves to NPGs so keeping a history book on relationships, plot points are also important along with a rich personality and motivations. And they should all be named Willem. :)

[@Wolfphototech]

*A decent general guide on making NPC'S .* *3.5 D&D had a lot of extremely good resources for everything .*

[@daydayz7293]

So, this is some idea I came up with for a campaign. Id kinda like to know people's thoughts and ideas on it. It's my first and I'm worried I won't make a good Dm, so far I just have the lore for the BBEG I've been working on lore for the BBEG and what I've ended up with is a skull lord who made a pact with an injured kraken (by the time players meet it and/or need to fight it, it will be heavily injured) to get revenge on a seaside kingdom, which they did as the kraken is a seige beast Basically the skull lord was a warlock before he was falsely executed by the King, to cover up the Kings, not so legal activitys, his family was also killed in the execution, which made a few spit insults at him for doing the (falsely) accused activitys. Yet, rather being buried his body alone was tossed into the sea where his rage was allowed to flow freely and turn him into a skull lord, its basically a warlock lich, I chose this as warlocks can use the blood pact spell. After a few century's he meets the almost dead kraken, he saves it from death in return for help , hence the bloodpact, after helping it recover for another century he went back to the kingdom and ripped it down By now the first king was dead and his child had taken over, someone who had known their father was a horrible person. The skull lord regardless what's to wipe out that bloodline. Now (after the attack) the main kingdom is in the center of the continent as they can no longer trade by sea to other continents. And the first kingdom is now stock full of zombies and ruins as the skull lord builds his forces for the attack inland. I was just wondering if people think this is a good idea and/or lore or if I should maybe change it up a little for more impact?

[@robertbishop5440]

NEED MORE OF THESE! MATT'S THE BEST!!!!

[@chameleonedm]

I feel this is not only useful for RPGs but literally anyone trying to create a fictional story. Really good things to keep in mind

[@ricardobarros1446]

Great tips for DM beginners as I am! Keep them coming!

[@ryallenquake]

This was actually a god send, given that I'm now having to write a campaign for a Pathfinder campaign that I just got involved in once we finish the one we are going through now. This is gonna be fun!

[@sydneycottrell6742]

I've JUST really started playing d&d- its only been about 4 1/2 months, and I'm not ready to dm yet, but my usual dm is going to college soon and we only have one backup, and he dms like 4 campaigns already. I feel like I need to learn and it sounds like a lot of fun- and I love critical role. My main problem would be doing voices.

[@wrath2509]

"They'll remember... *They always remember...* "

[@holyhellbird]

I love you total outlook on the game in general. I'm creating major npc, but I'm not looking at the little things. Thanks. 😁

[@ethanruigrok7946]

My favourite kind of NPC is the 'Meatshield' NPC, who comes along with the party early on through some sort of events, and meatshields for the level 2 adventurers pitted against a much stronger boss :D (spoiler, the meatshield almost always dies)

[@greeninferno1339]

So I’ve stumbled across an accidental end game villain: my version of Durnan of the Yawning Portal. Very first three sessions had him host a Lich, a Vampire Lord, and a Demon. Didn’t think past the novelty of having the party take mini-quests from really evil characters for coin. But Durnan also helped the PCs hide a freshly stabbed body for a handful of coin. Like, that’s not even Neutral, which is what he in vanilla. I think I’ll keep this hand close to my chest... :)

[@TRussell148]

In the campaign I'm running the main "villain" is a leader of a dragon worshiping cult. He's not particularly powerful, or even physically menacing, but he's very cunning and always manages to stay one step ahead of the heroes. They've come very close to stopping him a few times, but he manages to narrowly escape. However... on this week's adventure they're going to see that he is himself only a pawn for an Ice Giant lord seeking the artifact they've been after. Either way, he's been a great lead antagonist, and has constantly spurned the heroes without ever actually endangering them directly with physical combat. It goes to show that you don't have to be a 50 foot dragon to seem like a tough foe to a group of adventurers.

[@monopolysloth7957]

I’ve been trying to create a bbeg who is just the primordial emotion of pure terror and this helped a lot thank you!

[@johncage5368]

I love your NPCs. You give them so much personality they feel real and unique. I enjoy that a lot on CriticalRole. Wonderful examples: Best possible shopkeeper(s) Pumat Sol or great villain The Gentleman.

[@ursacor]

I'm really enjoying this tips series

[@Aviedya]

I'm not a DnD gm, but this advice is great for my writing. Thank you so much :D

[@YBTrolling]

I love the humor in these videos!

[@ladyofrillwater]

Descriptions of his NPC making strategies make me wish we could see his notes on fan favorites like Gilmore, Allura, and Kima, and villains like Ripley and the Briarwoods. Maybe after the campaign.